TME Tuesday: Making My Lists and Checking Them Twice

One of the things that I always include in my sing about songs editions is a section with different lists. The first list is of silly or not so silly holidays or remembrance days for the next month (it's hard to describe how this works - I try to send out ideas three months in advance, so this list is for four months in advance). The second list is songs that work with a particular month. For theme packets, I add a list of songs that supplement the theme.

I enjoy making these lists for several different reasons. I like finding new songs to listen to and to introduce to my clients. I am often reminded of songs that I have come across and later forgotten. I like having silly things to acknowledge when I am putting together things for my clients to do during sessions. A little bit of silly goes a long way when working with adolescents. It is also fun to challenge myself to design client-specific, goal-based therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) around unusual topics - like National Cheeseburger Day! 

(Did you know that there is a Silly Song with Larry from The VeggieTales called "His Cheeseburger?")

Having lists of songs is one of the tools that I make for myself. When I am dedicated to a specfic theme, I make a Spotify playlist with all of the songs on the list. I use these lists as background music for dancing or wiggle TMEs, for instrument play to promote entrainment to an external stimulus, and as ways to signal specific tasks - clean-up music, for example. I listen for specific elements of music to support the goals that I want to explore with my clients. I find karaoke versions of songs if the lyrics are distracting or unimportant to what we are trying to do.

I know that there are some therapists out in the bigger world of music therapy that feel that recorded music does not have a place in the music therapy session, but I am not one of those therapists. Recorded music definitely has a place in my music therapy sessions with my music therapy clients, so I use it.

I have 39 songs for my newest theme sing about songs. If you would like to get a copy of any of my sing about songs, check out my website for more information!

It is currently raining to beat the band out here. We have lightning and thunder as well and will be waiting for a flash flood warning to pass this afternoon. I keep trying to get my lawn mowed, but my lawn is never dry enough to be able to cut grass and not kill the grass by cutting off the root system - at least, that's my story!

Have a good Tuesday, all!